RoamLink

[StogieMan]

I’ve searched the forum and didn’t find any info so I apologize in advance if it has been discussed already and please point me to the thread. I could’ve swore that I saw a thread on this but I just can’t find it.

I got an email yesterday from MobileMustHave and I flagged it to follow up on it and glad that I did. They are now offering RoamLink which is either a physical or an E SIM card that you can use on your Peplink router. It works with all four cell phone carriers and I think the price is fair. I currently have a T-Mobile SIM card that I’m paying $50 for 50GB and a Verizon that is $75 unlimited but you get throttled down after 100 GB. Add to that the monthly fee of Starlink too.

So today I bit and ordered it the 300 GB for $159 from MobileMustHave to give it a try before I cancel the other two. According to them the speeds are suppose to be fast as the carriers themselves are not throttling you back like they do with their individual SIM card data plans. The good thing is that we now have four carriers versus two and this should give us greater coverage as we travel. There are no contracts and you can pause it at anytime for just $10 per month.

Looks like a good deal if you “NEED” internet on the road which I do. If you don’t need it, it still may be a better option than Starlink IMO. I’ve attached two good videos on it and how it all works. They are even offering some Peplink routers via their RoamLink Connect option. We’re still keeping Starlink along with this.



https://mobilemusthave.com/pages/roa...BqImxvI.X6qgKK




https://youtu.be/LBoAyyL2O8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JRhy0Dbb30

[goldenchase]

With the introduction of Starlink Mini the world of mobile data has been turned on its head. Starlink Mini is a major disruption in this market. So I suspect we will be seeing all sorts of new deals and offers.

But Starlink Mini is really different given the current pricing and constraints. The base roaming plan for the Mini is selling data at $1 per gigabyte. With that you have coverage anywhere in the US. Currently the service is deprioritized down to a reasonable average of around 100 Mbps. That may change but it is around that number right now.

The base Mini roam plan is $50 a month for 50 gb of data. So this is a minimum, you buy 50 gb of data a month whether you need it or not. If you need more data then you pay the same rate of $1 per gb for unlimited data. But the real sweetener (right now) is that you can turn it off month to month with no fees or penalties. This option is perfect for a short period of mobil use typically associated with RV's.

I am dumping my cellular data plans and going to full Starlink Mini. If I am on the road for weeks at a time and consume 300 gb of data then it will cost me $250 for that month. But when the trip ends I suspend the account without penalty. So the annual cost for Starlink data will simple cycle with demand.

There are special deals with all the cellular data plans that will get you data at less than $1 per gigabyte but they all come with fine print concerning coverage and prioritization. I have found out West, in an RV, in a "one tower town", at peak season all the cellular data plans are worthless.

Interesting to look at the blended rate for cellular data over the years. What is not captured in this graph is all the terms of use fine print for the cheaper cellular plans.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

With the introduction of Starlink Mini the world of mobile data has been turned on its head. Starlink Mini is a major disruption in this market. So I suspect we will be seeing all sorts of new deals and offers.

But Starlink Mini is really different given the current pricing and constraints. The base roaming plan for the Mini is selling data at $1 per gigabyte. With that you have coverage anywhere in the US. Currently the service is deprioritized down to a reasonable average of around 100 Mbps. That may change but it is around that number right now.

The base Mini roam plan is $50 a month for 50 gb of data. So this is a minimum, you buy 50 gb of data a month whether you need it or not. If you need more data then you pay the same rate of $1 per gb for unlimited data. But the real sweetener (right now) is that you can turn it off month to month with no fees or penalties. This option is perfect for a short period of mobil use typically associated with RV's.

I am dumping my cellular data plans and going to full Starlink Mini. If I am on the road for weeks at a time and consume 300 gb of data then it will cost me $250 for that month. But when the trip ends I suspend the account without penalty. So the annual cost for Starlink data will simple cycle with demand.

There are special deals with all the cellular data plans that will get you data at less than $1 per gigabyte but they all come with fine print concerning coverage and prioritization. I have found out West, in an RV, in a "one tower town", at peak season all the cellular data plans are worthless.

Interesting to look at the blended rate for cellular data over the years. What is not captured in this graph is all the terms of use fine print for the cheaper cellular plans.

I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.

However, we permanently installed our V2 Starlink dish on top of the van a few years ago and did the whole 12v conversion / router delete along with adding a pricier dual modem Peplink router. The Peplink MAX Transit Duo Pro Mobile Router was the best purchasing decision we made thus far to help facilitate our mobile internet needs and don’t regret one bit. Starlink does work well for us especially when we start heading out West but not so much here on the East Coast due to all the trees. Our majority of travel is up and down the East Coast. We run a small business and need to be connected and thus the reason for spending so much money on “mobile” internet service. Two other things that bother me about Starlink is their very slow upload speeds and the deprioritization with our lower tier $150 Mobile Regional plan especially during the busy times of the day. This really bogs down our service and is frustrating as heck. Go figure that Starlink thinks that a $150 per month should be considered “lower tiered”.

I like Starlink but I’m not ready for it to be our “prime time” internet service just yet. Don’t get me wrong Starlink is constantly updating, changing and adding satellites but they’re not just there for us. I like it in combination with other cellular providers to be connected when I need to be.

I’ve considered the Starlink Mini but too many cons for us to make the switch and would require me to completely redo the wiring and I’m not just ready to do that anytime soon.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by StogieMan

I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.

I’ve considered the Starlink Mini but too many cons for us to make the switch and would require me to completely redo the wiring and I’m not just ready to do that anytime soon.

Obstructions are an issue. The little one pound dish comes with a 50 foot cord. As long as you put at least 30 volts at the power supply and have an appropriate gauge of wire you can put it even further away.

The most clever solution for obstructions may be dual Mini's (widely spaced like one on the TV and one on the rear of the Airstream) feeding a dual WAN router (like the Peplink B One).

Things are changing fast.

[JeffKim]

I've been really frustrated with cell data rates and trying to find something that works for us. I can work remotely and need reliable internet, but we're only camping in the summer months. We have Starlink with a cell router for fallover. SL is converted to 12V. So a similar setup as @SM but we have a different modem/router.

SL works great in the open, but we're in Minnesota and there's lots of trees and turns out this year that's been most of the time. I haven't activated SL this year yet since I don't want to pay $150/mo for nothing. Then I need a decent cell service. But the big guys charge at least $50/month with a reactivation fee and we only need it a few months out of the year. They also seem to throttle back modems when they figure it out.

So I've been trying data only plans. I got Google-Fi (T-Mobile) to work after they sent me a separate SIM card for my "tablet". But they charge $10/GB and $20/mo for the line. I can suspend it 3 months at a time however. We don't stream, but we used $80 worth of data for two weekend trips this summer (ughhh). I suspended it.

I went with a 100Gb data card on Amazon from an ATT reseller but it seems to be throttled back. The best I can get is 10Mb. Someone recommended Minit Mobile (T-Mobile) so I'm giving them a try this week. But they weren't sure it would work with a modem.

I'm intrigued by Starlink mini, but mostly by the plan. If they offered the same plan for my V2, I'd take it and see if the tree reception has gotten better (I've read that).

Maybe I'm just too cheap and something like the $99 Roamlink is the answer, I might look into it. I think it will work with any modem. EDIT: no, I need a PepLink.

[goldenchase]

The innovation happening with the Mini is amazing. Multiple groups on FaceBook and X posting various ways to use the Mini.


Here is an interesting one. 12 hours battery life put the dish anywhere within range of the WiFi.

[LilBird]

The Mobile Regional plan finally is available for the Mini. No restriction on gigs — it’s the same Roam plan as the V2/V3 and same ability to suspend.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by LilBird

The Mobile Regional plan finally is available for the Mini. No restriction on gigs — it’s the same Roam plan as the V2/V3 and same ability to suspend.

That's the way I read it and you can move back and forth. So right now with the Mini you can have three service options.

1. Suspended service.
2. 50 GB plan with a toggle to go above 50 GB $1 per GB.
3. Mobile Regional Plan with unlimited data at $150/mo.

So for those who use data mostly on trips you stay at option 1 or 2. When you are going on a trip with Mini you go to option 3 unless you think you will not need more than 150 GB. In that case you stay on option 2 and pay $1 per GB.

All in all a pretty flexible plan if you don't use your Airstream every month.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by goldenchase

That's the way I read it and you can move back and forth. So right now with the Mini you can have three service options.

1. Suspended service.
2. 50 GB plan with a toggle to go above 50 GB $1 per GB.
3. Mobile Regional Plan with unlimited data at $150/mo.

So for those who use data mostly on trips you stay at option 1 or 2. When you are going on a trip with Mini you go to option 3 unless you think you will not need more than 150 GB. In that case you stay on option 2 and pay $1 per GB.

All in all a pretty flexible plan if you don't use your Airstream every month.

Ahh ok, any word or experience on the throttling down or slower service during peak hours? That's my biggest concern.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by StogieMan

Ahh ok, any word or experience on the throttling down or slower service during peak hours? That's my biggest concern.

Don't have enough experience yet. I see an average of around 100 down 10 up. I have seen as low as 50 down but not often. The satellites wiz by so fast it all depends on where they are when you do a speed test.

Elon keeps putting more satellites up but the Mini is becoming very popular world wide. I suspect there will be a shortage of Mini's soon as more markets open around the world.

One thing you can count on with Starlink. They are very nimble constantly changing price, devices and terms. It will be an interesting ride.

[LilBird]

Originally Posted by StogieMan

Ahh ok, any word or experience on the throttling down or slower service during peak hours? That's my biggest concern.

Given speed depends on the plan you choose and not the device, I wouldn’t think it will throttle down anymore than with the V2/V3. We have the V3 and use it both on the road and at our second home. So far, so good — and we use a lot of data.

[KettleKayaker]

Just connected our MobileMustHave's RoamLinkConnect 5g router.

Setup was fast and easy! (Plug in attennas and connect power!) We purchased the option window mounted antenna. It features the ability to find the best cell provider and then connect to that provider. They claim that they keep your data stream as "prioritized network traffic" (i.e. faster. We will see)
I am testing this from home right now. We live in a very wooded area and have reception problems with our regular cell phone service and our cell phone based home router. We start a long trip to the rally in about a month. Looking forward to see how it works. Hopefully we will always have "pretty good" internet regardless of our location. If we can always browse and generally always stream movies or perhaps a video call we will be satisfied. So far so good. Time will tell!

http://https://mobilemusthave.com/pa...yLVvfHHXbcn--0

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by LilBird

Given speed depends on the plan you choose and not the device, I wouldn’t think it will throttle down anymore than with the V2/V3. We have the V3 and use it both on the road and at our second home. So far, so good — and we use a lot of data.

I still experience the bog downs during peak hours with our V2 dish on our deprioritized regional non residential $150 plan. I’m trying to figure out if it’s our dish or do others with the same plan but different gen dishes experience this as well. I don’t want to go through all the trouble of replacing it if I’m going to experience the same result.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by KettleKayaker

Just connected our MobileMustHave's RoamLinkConnect 5g router.

Setup was fast and easy! (Plug in attennas and connect power!) We purchased the option window mounted antenna. It features the ability to find the best cell provider and then connect to that provider. They claim that they keep your data stream as "prioritized network traffic" (i.e. faster. We will see)
I am testing this from home right now. We live in a very wooded area and have reception problems with our regular cell phone service and our cell phone based home router. We start a long trip to the rally in about a month. Looking forward to see how it works. Hopefully we will always have "pretty good" internet regardless of our location. If we can always browse and generally always stream movies or perhaps a video call we will be satisfied. So far so good. Time will tell!

Please keep us posted on your experience with coverage overall. Our SIM card should be sitting in our mailbox and I’m eager to get it installed when we get back from our trip to start testing.

[switters]

Originally Posted by StogieMan

I’ve searched the forum and didn’t find any info so I apologize in advance if it has been discussed already and please point me to the thread. I could’ve swore that I saw a thread on this but I just can’t find it.

I got an email yesterday from MobileMustHave and I flagged it to follow up on it and glad that I did. They are now offering RoamLink which is either a physical or an E SIM card that you can use on your Peplink router. It works with all four cell phone carriers and I think the price is fair. I currently have a T-Mobile SIM card that I’m paying $50 for 50GB and a Verizon that is $75 unlimited but you get throttled down after 100 GB. Add to that the monthly fee of Starlink too.

Thanks for the heads up. I saw this on the Mobile Internet Resource Center site.

In our case, I think a combo of Starlink + T-Mobile 5G Unlimited Business Internet with a Peplink router will be sufficient and much more affordable ($60/mo vs. $175/mo for RoamLink 5G). We're out west, so many places we camp don't have obstructed skies. T-Mobile 5G coverage is excellent in most places we camp, so it will be a great backup when Starlink isn't working.

[StogieMan]

Oh man did I goof this one up and not sure what the heck I was thinking. I should’ve ordered a E-SIM card instead of a physical one from the get go. I totally forgot that the way that I installed our router, the SIM card slots are on the back side and out of reach. Too much trouble to start taking everything apart along with the antenna wires etc. to install a SIM card. I contacted MobileMustHave and working on getting the new E-SIM card installed today.

Two interesting things that I discovered today while I was messing around with settings on the Peplink router dashboard are that there is now a new 8.5.0 firmware update for the Peplink routers. The other is that with this firmware update you now get a new option to check off that will allow you to “Ignore Obstruction Outages” for Starlink. This helps in the quicker recovery and not turn off your WAN connection and if you of course have other cellular SIM cards or other internet connections tied to the Peplink router as to not skip a beat.

I’ve attached a cliff notes webinar on everything that the new firmware includes. If you just want to listen in on the Starlink obstruction option - that is around the 19:14 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TKAtcQA4gQ

[MCM78LC]

Following. Anxious to hear @KettleKayaker's experience from the rally.